Durham Conservatives to choose replacement for MPP John O’Toole

Three candidates already announced for Durham PC Riding Association nomination meeting on April 12

John and Erin O'Toole

Sabrina Byrnes / Metroland

CLARINGTON -- Long-serving Durham MPP John O’Toole (right) announced Friday, Feb. 28 that he will be retiring and not seeking re-election. Here he congratulates his son Erin O'Toole after being elected MP ofr Durham riding in November 2012

CLARINGTON -- The Durham PC Riding Association will vote Saturday, April 12 to elect a new Progressive Conservative candidate for Durham in Ontario’s next election.

“Several outstanding candidates are considering the nomination,” said Mark Holmes, president of the Durham Provincial PC Riding Association.

Long-serving Durham MPP John O’Toole announced in February that he plans to retire and will not seek re-election in the next provincial election. Mr. O’Toole, who was first elected as Durham’s member of provincial parliament in 1995, will continue to serve as MPP until the next provincial election.

Three candidates have already put their names forward for the nomination meeting.

Mike Patrick is the co-owner and operator of the Bowmanville Foundry. He lives in Bowmanville with his wife Deborah, where they raised their children. Mr. Patrick has volunteered in the Durham riding, including serving as the founding President of the Clarington Board of Trade; chairman, president or board member of: Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee, Lakeridge Health board, Clarington Physician Recruitment Committee, the Visual Arts Centre, the Clarington Swim Club and many other community organizations.

Ontario PC Party vice-president and membership chairman Steven Cooke has been a Kawartha Pine Ridge public school trustee since 2006, is a father of three and an 18-year active member of the Durham PC Association. Mr. Cooke has long-standing roots in Durham and the Ontario PC Party. Mr. Cooke currently works for Canada’s Finance Minister Joe Oliver. He has worked for three PC ministers at Queen’s Park.

Mike Mokhtar is a chartered accountant and certified management eccountant with 30 years of experience in accounting and business. He holds a masters in financial accountability from York University. Mr. Mokhtar has worked as an accountant and controller with large companies, including Liquid Carbonic, Shoppers Drug Mart, Roots Canada, The Salvation Army and T.B.G. He and his wife have lived in Bowmanville for 17 years and raised two children.

The Durham PC nomination meeting is Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Stephen Secondary School, 300 Scugog St., Bowmanville. Speeches and debate by the candidates start at approximately 11 a.m., followed by voting at 12:30 p.m. To be eligible to vote, residents of the riding must hold a current Durham PC riding membership purchased before 11:59 a.m. on Monday, April 7.

(1) Comment

By durhamgal|APRIL 04, 2014 12:24 PM

Do we have so few conservatives in this riding that they continually have to go out of riding for contested nominations AGAIN. I gues Joe main street is not good enough for the conservatives in this riding